We're Amazing - Or Does Everyone Else Suck?

Over the past week, the company I work for won two deals with customers who will ultimately be multi-million dollar accounts.  We rock, right?  Maybe so.  I mean, our sales team is phenomenal.  We're consultative.  We match our solutions with real business needs.  We think about the customer's best interest.  Oh, yeah - I forgot to mention that the competitors on both of these deals...I don't know how to put this delicately...they just suck.

Have you heard the sales phrase, "We sucked less than everyone else?"  I read sales blogs almost every day, in addition to writing here.  I am overwhelmed by the massive amount of sales tactics, methodologies, training, tools, and general advice out there.  How about the simple concept that in any opportunity, sometimes the decision to buy from one organization over another comes down to choosing who sucks less?  It's a harsh message, and one that no salesperson likes to hear.  I wonder how many times sales success hinges on this important concept?

If your organization sells products/services that must be bought in order for a business to function, you might ask yourself this question as you're planning your sales strategy.  You've heard this before disguised as the word "competition," but I wonder whether our egos allow us to think about this particular kind of competition.  The best analogy I have is with my cable TV/Internet service at my house.  I've only got two choices.  Guess what?  They both suck.  Their customer service is horrible.  Their reliability borders on unusable.  Nonetheless.  I have to pick one of the two.  FYI - the one who sucks least is Charter Communications.  Do you think they're celebrating the "win?"  Maybe.

Next time you're breaking out the champagne, think about this one for a moment.  Maybe after you do, you'll shrug and say, "Nope - we won because we rock."  Maybe you just suck less.  Enjoy!